Memento Ultionis
by Nanatsusaya
Summary: To the spider's thread, one adds a pine needle, and tailors a garment of mist. [Yaoi 5x3]
1. Mist

Luna sez:  Anyone remember _The Cabin_?  Well, guess what guys--I'm at it again!  Bigger, badder, and smuttier than ever.  Except probably not.  More plot this time.  I swear.    
  
  
Praise be to Zimus, without which this would not have been possible.

Mist 

  
It was an oppressive night, air hovering in stagnant pools around sparse, nearly bare trees.  Twilight was setting in as a few hoarse birds rasped out their last call of the day.  Under one of the larger trees, the jeep was parked and two figures were pitching a tent in a small clearing.  A little ways off, another was looking for firewood, a fairly easy task considering the state of the trees. The last was unloading supplies from the back of the jeep. 

Gojyo grunted softly, shifting an over-stuffed pack off his shoulder.  He paused to watch as Goku nailed the last stake of the second tent into the ground.  The kappa's gaze was distant, though it wasn't apparent whether or not it was the heat that made it so.  "I can't believe you sent the high and mighty Sanzo-sama to pick up twigs," he said with a sneer in the monkey's general direction.  

Goku flashed him the usual idiotic grin and answered, "It was between that and cooking tonight."  The boy's cheery demeanor contrasted sharply with the atmosphere of the camp, making the surroundings seem all the more sinister.  Shooting him an odd look, Gojyo imagined the priest cooking for all of them.  Everything would most likely be under-cooked with a light hint of cigarette ash for flavor. 

"Good choice, monkey….  I'm gonna go help him before he breaks his precious back.  Not used to bending over that far, is the illustrious Sanzo, ne?"  Gojyo chuckled, lighting a cigarette and wandering off in the general direction he had seen Sanzo go.  The priest had already compiled a good amount of wood, which was sitting in a stack at his feet.  The heavy air was starting to wear on him and he stripped off the sleeves of his robe.  Grumbling, Sanzo rubbed a trickle of sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand and leaned down to pick up the wood again.  Just as the kappa entered the small clearing, he was presented with a sight he begged for daily—a perfect view of Sanzo's rear.  Gojyo considered said bum for a moment, grinning like a chipmunk with too many nuts in its mouth.  The rising moonlight caught individual dots of sweat on the priest's bare shoulders; the redhead remained silent and leaned against a nearby tree.  

Trying to juggle the lit cigarette and carry an armload of very dry sticks was not the easiest or most intelligent task for the priest to attempt.  He ended up dropping a number of the sticks and swearing double that amount.   Consequently, he hadn't noticed Gojyo standing near him yet.  The kappa admired Sanzo's body for a little longer, eyes dancing over the curve of his shoulders and up through the moonlit hair.  His own red strands were drooping terribly in the humidity.  "Oi, need a hand, Stick-Gatherer?" 

Sanzo whirled around and blinked a couple of times at the kappa, obviously mystified as to how he could have crept up so easily.  The cigarette stuck between his lips was starting to burn down to the filter, adding a slightly orange glow to his face.  "…No," he answered, recovering composure easily.

Gojyo raised an eyebrow, stepping forward anyway.  The play of colors between the violet of Sanzo's eyes and the orange fire light was spectacular and he found himself musing that Sanzo resembled some sort of mythical creature from days of old.  "…I'll walk with you then."

The priest quirked an eyebrow, weighing the possibilities of an ulterior motive.  Since it was Gojyo, this was the most likely case, but Sanzo didn't see any real danger in letting the redhead walk with him back to camp.  "Fine."  The priest hoisted the sticks up to rest on his hip and started toward the jeep where the others were unpacking.  His footsteps made hardly any sound, even on the brittle groundcover.  Gojyo followed close behind making considerably more noise than the priest.  A trail of smoke ghosted over his shoulder and into the night air closing in on the two.  

" 'Ch…it's so quiet…" the kappa remarked, nose wrinkling in disapproval.  "I hate it when you can hear yourself think…."

"You have that problem?  Huh…never would have imagined…" Sanzo quipped in an irritated voice.  Glancing uneasily around the immediate area, he noticed a light mist creeping up around the trees.  "This place does have a goddamn unpleasant feel to it, though…" he added slowly.  

Gojyo rolled his eyes at the comment, looking about him as they walked.  His mouth twisted at the growing unease in the atmosphere.  _Shouldn't we have reached the camp by now…?_  The kappa reached out and gripped Sanzo lightly by the shoulder.  "Something's wrong…do you feel it?"  Pausing under Gojyo's gesture, Sanzo stood very still.  His eyes narrowed and his mouth clenched around the half-smoked cigarette.  Grunting in reply, he slowly set the firewood on the ground.    
 

Gojyo shivered involuntarily, shoving his hands in his pockets and sweeping the area with a scrutinizing gaze.  "I know about you, but all of a sudden I've got the heebie-jeebies…." Silently, the kappa regretted leaving his weapon at the campsite.  

Never one to be caught unprepared, Sanzo slid the shining silver gun out of his sleeve and into one pale hand.  "Do you hear that?" Turning to face a particularly dense patch of for, the priest pointed his gun in emphasis.  

Gojyo turned in the direction he was pointing, ears straining to pick up any suspicious movement in the mist.  Youkai hearing was good, even when halved.  "What is that…?"

Shaking his head, Sanzo glanced back at the kappa, hoping he would get the idea and keep quiet before whatever it was noticed them.  Peering into the thickening fog, he moved the muzzle of the gun around trying to pinpoint the sound.  After several tense moments, a weasel darted out from under the brush and scurried away.  "…." Gojyo had waited anxiously behind him, unarmed and unwilling to be caught off guard.  He had fallen silent at Sanzo's request…at least until the weasel revealed itself at their unknown assailant, at which the redhead burst into uncontrolled laughter.  

"Oh man!  I can't believe we got so worked up over a fur ball like that!  Son of a bitch, do I feel stupid." Gojyo slapped the priest hard on the back.  

Sanzo stared perplexedly at the spot where the weasel had appeared, but lowered his gun.  _I was so sure I had heard a voice…._  The priest frowned at Gojyo and pulled his shoulder away from the redhead's hand.  

"You scared the crap outta me, monk."  Gojyo grinned and shook his head, antennae-like strands bobbing.  "We must've taken a wrong turn somewhere…. I don't see the camp.  Let's turn around, eh?" To which he added with a snicker, "Unless there's more weasels out there you'd like to shoot."

"Shut your trap, water beetle."  Sanzo gathered up the sticks and turned to follow Gojyo back toward where the camp may be.  As he walked, the priest couldn't help looking back at the thick patch of mist they had been sure contained some bloodthirsty Youkai just minutes before.  Sanzo decided his ears must have been playing tricks on him, but somehow didn't feel like he should put his gun away just yet.  


	2. Bones

** Bones**

Gojyo walked on ahead of Sanzo, muttering something about the food being gone once they got back.  He paused to flick the old cigarette away, mashing it into the dirt.  "That monkey better not have—" The kappa stopped short and raised an eyebrow.  "I still smell smoke, and it ain't your brand, either…. Do you think we're close to the camp?

"How the hell should I know?  You're the one with the good night-vision."  Sanzo was still dwelling on the imagined voice in the fog and quickly becoming rather irate at Gojyo for interrupting his thoughts.  If the priest's arms hadn't been occupied, the kappa would have received a sharp smack on the noggin with a large paper fan for opening his mouth.  Said kappa grit his teeth in irritation with a glance in Sanzo's direction.

"I would be able to see if it weren't for all this fuckin' mist!" the redhead snapped, choosing instead to use the smell of smoke as a lead.  

"Fine, just pick a direction and take it."  Sanzo answered shortly.  A fleeting sensation that something unpleasant was lurking nearby crept its way up the priest's spine.  With a slight shiver, Sanzo prodded the kappa in the back with one of his sticks.  "Get moving." 

" 'Ey!  Don't poke me, I'm going…" Gojyo protested, setting a faster pace.  He began to rely on smell of smoke, for the mist had grown too thick to see past the end of your nose.  Sanzo followed blindly behind, keeping his eyes on the bobbing red hair in front of him.  The brightness of the kappa's hair was the only thing keeping the priest walking on the same path, as his eyes weren't as developed.  A growing sense of unease was gradually taking over his thought process, making if difficult to concentrate on anything else.  After a short time, Gojyo stopped and glanced around, his lip curling.

"There's someone out there…" the kappa whispered, muscles tensing visibly as Sanzo approached.  "Do you hear it, Sanzo?

"No…but I feel…" The priest's words trailed off as he felt something brush by his head.  Dropping the armload of sticks, he whirled around aiming his gun in the direction he thought the touch had come from.  He stood, arms outstretched, peering through the heavy mist.  When no attack came, he lowered the gun, perplexed.  Gojyo had jumped at Sanzo's sudden reaction, tensed and ready although he had no idea what had caused such a reaction in the blonde.  No telltale shot signified the splattering of Youkai brains on the forest floor, no hurried cursing, no scuffle of feet on the dead leaves…. The kappa blinked at the priest curiously, quite sure he had heard something just a moment ago.

"…?" Sanzo turned slowly, checking all around for any sign of movement.  Finally, at a loss, he looked up, toward a nearby tree.  Barely visible in the dim glow filtering through the forest canopy was a rotten old rope, swinging feebly in the stale breeze.  It was frayed and mossy, as if it had been there just long enough to not completely disintegrate.  As he watched, it creaked lazily past the place where his head had been.  "…What the hell…?"  

Gojyo eyed the priest suspiciously, thinking that perhaps someone had the late night jitters.  "Congrats, you almost ended the life of a crummy old rope."

"Shut up" he snapped back at the kappa.  Sanzo leaned down to re-gather the firewood, although he wondered why he kept bothering—the stuff was so damp now he doubted they would be able to light a fire even if they could find their way back to camp.  "You're the one hearing ghosts, if I remember correctly."

Gojyo watched him pick up the wood distractedly, wishing fervently that he were back with Hakkai and Goku and the Jeep with a friendly cigarette.  "At least I didn't stop to try shooting them."

"It…it brushed the top of my head…. You would've done the same under these circumstances."  Sanzo paused to shoot his companion a scathing look, before resuming his pointless venture of stick gathering.  He picked up what he hoped what the last piece and began walking again.  As he got up, the priest's ears started ringing slightly, as if he had gotten up too fast, but more persistent.  Shaking his head to clear the sound away availed nothing.  _What the fuck…?_  Gojyo was no longer paying attention to the priest and therefore didn't notice Sanzo's change of expression.  The redhead was surveying their surroundings, trying to determine the best course of action.  

"Maybe they started a fire without us—I wouldn't put it past them.  That bastard monkey…. Hakkai probably let him start eating our rations…." Gojyo rambled on to himself in response to successfully picking up the smoky scent again.  "Hey, almighty one—I think we're close."

"Hn…" Sanzo responded slowly, deciding to ignore the ringing in his ears for now.  He figured it was either the damp atmosphere or the way he stood from bending down or a combination of both.  He didn't care as long as it went away after a good night's sleep.  "Close to what, kappa?  I don't see anything."

The redhead sighed, "Close to camp…. It's that smoke again—I can smell it.  Why the hell did they send us to get wood if they had some already?"  Gojyo growled low, really not concerned with anything besides the prospect that he'd been tricked into taking the sour priest on a wild goose chase/nature walk.

"How the hell should I know?"  The ringing in Sanzo's ears was getting a bit worse the farther they walked and it was making him irritable.  "I don't see any fire…." The priest shifted the sticks over to one arm so he could jam a finger in one ear.  After trying both, nothing seemed to have changed.  

"Neither can I, but this fog is so fucking thick I—" Gojyo glanced back at Sanzo and realized the priest was trailing several steps behind.  Quirking an eyebrow at the other's behavior, "Sheesh, I didn't think I was talking that much…."

"Obviously, you are, as usual."  Sanzo's reply was slower than his usual barbed retorts.  The noise was getting more and more distracting and was even starting to affect his hearing.  Gojyo sounded fifteen feet away instead of five.  "Shut your trap and move."

"What's crawled up your ass this time?" the kappa replied, stalking off and muttering to himself.  There were plenty of things he'd rather be doing than getting lost in a forest with someone who wouldn't stop ordering him around like a servant.  Behind him, Sanzo clenched his teeth together, wishing the kappa would quit talking as it was wearing on his already frayed nerves.  The ringing in his ears was becoming more than an annoyance and he suspected there would be a headache along with it soon enough.  The priest suddenly realized that the mist was becoming even more concentrated than before, if that was even possible, and the ground seemed to be changing.  The hard ground was less rocky and uneven with roots, giving way into a smoother terrain.  It was almost as if they had come to a road.  Gojyo remarked pleasantly on the improved condition of the ground, making empty threats about how he was going to confront Hakkai about this little excursion after they got back.  All suspicion has fled from his mind after no other strange sensations had yet emerged from the forest.  Sanzo vaguely though that they had entered a clearing, though most definitely not the one they had started in.  The air here felt off, almost foreboding in its distinct presence.  The priest tried to see into the surrounding area, still following the kappa's blob of red hair and obnoxious rambling.  The odd feeling was getting stronger, but thankfully the ringing in Sanzo's ears seemed to have reached a peak and would not get any worse.  

"…I think…we're on a road…" Sanzo mumbled, not really caring if Gojyo heard him or not.  The redhead had good hearing, but only when he chose to use it; Gojyo missed the priest's comment completely, but seemed to have come to the same conclusion.  

"What is this?  A road?  I don't remember any road.  Does someone actually live out here?" The kappa snorted in surprise, pulling strands of lank red hair from his face.  "Hmph…."

"Who knows?  I can't see a goddamn thing…." Sanzo was dragging his feet, air around tugging him down toward the ground.  Just as he though the weight of his limbs was going to pull him down, the priest caught sight of was looked to be the remains of a building through a gap in the fog.  He blinked at it stupidly, looking around and seeing more dark shapes and little piles of rubble all around them.  Gojyo was already inspecting on of the piles—by standing on it—and peering into the distance.  

"Gyah…what's an old building doing out here?  Can't we get lost in a normal forest for once?

"This was a town…" Sanzo said slowly, still straining his eyes to see through the mist.  The breeze kicked up just enough to swirl the fog around, offering snatches of the derelict village.  The priest could see the decaying remains of houses, blacked by age and probable fire, weeds everywhere…and bones.  There were human bones here and there, charred and broken among the rubble.  That was when Sanzo's skull turned inside out. 


	3. Voices

 **Voices**

Voices of the long dead assaulted Sanzo's ears, screeching incoherently.  Paralyzed where he stood, the priest couldn't even begin to try and decipher the multitude of spectral noises.  After a few brief moments, the pain in his head forced Sanzo to his knees, clutching his throbbing skull.  His lips moved slightly, mouthing obscenities before a strangled scream tore from his throat.  

"Sanzo?!"  Gojyo had been surveying their surroundings, but whirled around and dashed to the priest's side as he crumpled.  The kappa grabbed him by the shoulder and shook him roughly, frustration rising as he failed to find any reason for this sudden outburst.  "Sanzo!"

Another scream died on the priest's lips as the spiritual energies became too much even for one such as him and Sanzo blacked out.  His eyes rolled back and he limply slumped against Gojyo, face so pale the skin was almost translucent.  Utterly confused and on the verge of panicking, the redhead could barely think straight enough to catch the priest's dipping head.  Kneeling, he grabbed his limp companion by the shoulders.  "Fuck fuck fuck… What's wrong with you?  Sanzo…." Gojyo doubted anything he did would elicit a response from the unconscious blonde.  _What could possibly have made him scream like that?_  Gojyo was suddenly very aware of the heavy ethereal atmosphere, listening intently, peering in to the fog for a trace of something…anything.  All the buildings looked as if they had been burned down, many years ago.  Empty skulls peered out at the kappa with vacant eyes, most of them half-buried in the dirt and rubble.  The only building even remotely in one piece was at the far end of the small village; it seemed to have once been a two story structure, but the roof and most of the upper floor was gone, as well as one wall from the lower.  If it had been daylight, one would have been able to see the remains of ornate décor on the outside of the dilapidated structure.  Unfortunately, the mist seemed to gather most thickly around that one building.  
  


Gojyo sighed softly, silently rebuking himself for not having paid better attention earlier.  The rotting atmosphere was definitely getting to him, feeling as though he were trapped in a catacomb.  All around the crushed, grinning skulls offered him no explanation.  The only thing that presented him some semblance of safety was the ominous building at the edge of the road, but the kappa was not thrilled with the way fate seemed to be pushing him into one course of action.  Gojyo looked down at the limp priest in his arms, wishing like all hell that Sanzo would wake up and tell him what to do.  Gently, the kappa turned him to face his chest and hoisted Sanzo over his shoulder, grimacing at the thought of how the priest would react if he knew he was being dragged around like a sack of potatoes, but now all he received in reply was the disturbing bob of his soft, blond head.  

Groaning in protest and frustration, Gojyo headed in the direction of the decaying building.  He cast a sidelong glance at Sanzo hip, "I know you'd say it looks like a trap, but I really don't know where else to go…."

The structure creaking menacingly, as if the slightest breeze would send the whole thing crashing down.  It was a miracle the building was still partially standing, looking like it had been there since nearly the dawn of time.  The wood on the walls was as black as the dark shadows that seemed to congeal in every corner of the accursed town and condensation from the fog dripped occasionally in the background.  Where the door had been was only a frame with blackened edges and peels of splintering wood.  Gojyo stepped of the threshold, his boots echoing conspicuously on the hard floor inside.  

"What a dump…." The priest was still dangling from Gojyo's shoulder and showing no sign of waking up soon.  He was unnaturally pale, despite the slight redness in his cheeks from having hung upside down too long.

The layout of the building was mostly one large room with two smaller one off to either side and a rickety set of stairs leading to nowhere, several of them having collapsed with time.  Not for the first or last time, Gojyo frowned and wondered why he was here again.  There couldn't possibly be anyone here that would be of any help, but at least it provided a little shelter in case Sanzo didn't wake up until tomorrow.  His lips twisted down in silent sympathy as he switched the priest over to the other shoulder.  "Always gotta be indisposed when it's really important, don'tcha?"  

Gojyo picked the door to his right at random and stood at the doorway peering in.  The room was empty except for a nest of dead leaves in the corner that probably housed some small animal.  There was a hole in the wall that may have been a window at one point, but had since been splintered beyond recognition as such.  The kappa entered the room uneasily, the floorboards creaking under his heavy boots.  Kneeling down, he removed Sanzo from his shoulder and leaned him again the far wall.  Despite his usual nonchalance about the priest's health, Gojyo did not like the way his face reminded the redhead of the mist outside.  He reached out and slapped Sanzo hard across the face, but to no avail.  "Wake up, damn you."  

The slap had no effect on the comatose priest, only resulting in a red welt rising on his cheek and his limp head whipping to the side.  Sanzo's body slumped, nearly sliding down the wall into and uncomfortable heap.  The kappa sighed, regretting hitting him, finding little consolation in the fact that Sanzo would have beat him around the head much harder if their roles had been switched.  "Alright fine, leave me alone in this god-forsaken town," Gojyo said with a snort, pacing over to the vaguely square shaped hole in the wall, but he might as well have been trying to stare through a white-washed fence.  The fog was so thick it hid everything beyond the wall from view.  The kappa shuddered, disliking the mist more and more every minute. 

[Luna sez: Sorry guys, but this one's going to be put on hold for a while in favor of another GojyoxSanzo fic.  ^^;;  But hey, as long as it's 5x3 who cares, right?]  


End file.
